


You Would Have, Wouldn't You?

by ArchWriter



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Altered canon of season 6b, Alternate Ending, Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Void Stiles, War, mirrors season 3b, not sure if angsty enough to be tagged angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 10:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12167187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchWriter/pseuds/ArchWriter
Summary: Scott still remembers how it felt to have someone you love die in his arms. He wishes Liam doesn't know what that feels like.





	You Would Have, Wouldn't You?

**Author's Note:**

> It was a slow day at work and I am still in denial of Teen Wolf finally on its last episode. Written before S06E20 came out, this was how I imagined the war ended, because we all know wars can't not have casualties.
> 
> Written because I was bored at work, angsting on the show, and basically having feels because I feel Liam and Theo have so much potential to go on off and the show is ending. Also, because I've always wanted to write something that resounded from the events in season 3 in the present setting, that I feel the show didn't address enough.
> 
> Anyways, read along.

The fight wasn’t going as well as Scott had hoped.

The Anuk-Ite was down, that much is true, and a lot of the supporters from Monroe’s hunting group have fled the scene. Still, there were a lot of self-made hunters who still rallied behind Monroe’s cause, urged forward by Gerard’s encouragement.

They were putting up a fight, but Scott could see that the tide was slowly turning against their favour. Malia, Jackson, and Ethan are going to be slowly overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. Peter was struggling against Gerard and his wolfsbane-laced sword.

Scott prayed for a miracle to happen.

~

A miracle did happen. Sort of. Actually, Kate Argent happened. Scott was at a loss. Then Chris Argent arrived, and then Scott could breathe again. He vaguely thinks this war was going to make him need his inhaler, and he solidly thinks he just might.

~

He could feel Liam’s pain and exhaustion through their bond. He sees now why Derek had been so scattered back then when the older male was Alpha – just having one troubled teenager tethered to him was a handful during serious situations, Scott couldn’t imagine having three at once.

He remembers telling Corey and Mason to take care of the civilians fleeing the scene, and he remembers Liam telling him he’ll stay. Scott was against it; even though he needed all the power he could muster, he didn’t want his only beta to suffer because of it. He had decided against telling Stiles about the Anuk-Ite for this very reason, which was why it was a surprise that Stiles rolled up to war with Derek in tow.

Scott mused he should have known better. He couldn’t hide much from Stiles anyway.

“This is our war Scott. You can’t sit me out of this.”

“He’s right.”

Scott turned to look at Theo. Scott had very justified reasons for mistrusting the chimera, but during the times he wasn’t with Liam, it was Theo who kept his beta in check. He even protected Mason from Aaron’s attack before the Anuk-Ite merged into one entity.

“You can try to keep him out of harm’s way all you want Scott, but you know the dumbass will just keep coming back.”

“I suppose you’re volunteering to keep an eye on him?”

Scott could see the subdued look of surprise in Theo’s eyes, but the boy snarked back just as fast. “Still don’t trust me with your beta? Afraid I might stage homicide while he’s out of your watch?”

Scott threw a level look at the two boys: Liam’s gaze determined and unwavering, ready to fight a war he knows he feels guilty of starting back on the night Brett died, and at Theo’s wandering eyes, looking straight at Scott, but he noticed how the chimera’s eyes always flickered briefly towards Liam.

Keeping a constant eye on his beta, even if Scott hadn’t prompted it. And if Scott was being even more honest, something even he didn’t expect from them. He’d expect it from Derek towards Stiles, or from Stiles towards Lydia, even himself and Peter towards Malia, or even their parents towards them. But from his beta and the guy who once stabbed them all in the back? Scott didn’t have time to dwell on it; he’d worry about it later.

“Watch each other’s back.”

Both boys nodded. Scott quirked a small smile. He could feel his eyes glowing Alpha red in encouragement, and Liam’s emotions settle from his Alpha’s approval. Scott feels more empowered briefly, stronger, more balanced.

“Good. Now don’t die.”

~

He felt Liam’s pain multiple times throughout the fight. He saw Liam on his knees, at gun point, barrel directed towards his beta’s head. Scott tried to rush over, but Theo got there before him, ripping the hunter’s gun away and throwing the disarmed guy at a distance.

Then he heard the shots.

He saw Monroe and her armalite, her gaze a mixture of smugness and satisfaction. He saw the black vans roll up without a moment’s delay, FBI personnel seizing control of the situation. He saw Sheriff Stilinski with them, directing Agent McCalls personnel on the scene like he would his deputies.

There was a struggle, more rounds of gunshots, he knew, but all he could see was Liam rushing over to Theo, before the chimera dropped to his knees and fell in his beta’s arms.

~

A familiar ringing resounded behind them, and as Scott turned, he faced the team that subjugated the Anuk-Ite. Parrish stood on the side, slightly smoking, a firm grasp on a breathless Lydia. Derek’s eyes were still glowing blue in the dark, and beside him was Stiles, whose eyes looked unfocused. Behind his best friend were a group of _oni_ , swords in their sheath but looking as deadly as ever. Scott stared in Stiles’s eyes, eyes shifting between the warm brown he knows and the cold dark ones he remembers being so afraid of.

“Stiles?”

Stiles smiles, and waves him off. “Don’t worry. It’s just the unfortunate side effect of facing the Anuk-Ite with a horrible back-up plan. I’ll tell you all about it later. For now though...” Scott knew Stiles was trying to sound flippant about himself, but he knew better than to pursue it. He refocused on the scene happening before him, and he couldn’t help but be taken back to a familiar night so many months ago.

God, with all that’s happened, that night felt like years ago.

_“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m dying in the arms of my first love. The boy I’ll always love.”_

“You knew. You rushed here because you knew.”

“Technically, only Lydia knew. And we only knew when she screamed his name,” Derek supplied, “and we rushed back here to provide back up for you. But I guess most of the fight is over by now, huh?”

Scott felt Malia crash lightly to his right, a wandering arm around his waist. Jackson and Ethan weren’t far behind, limping slightly towards them with their healing injuries.

“He’s not gonna make it, is he?” Malia asked.

And all Scott could remember was how Lydia’s scream filled the air, Isaac getting slashed mercilessly by the _oni_ , and just as he got there, Allison getting run through with an _oni_ ’s sword.

“No. I don’t think so.”

Kate and Gerard had been taken care of by Chris and Peter. Monroe and her motley crew had disappeared with the FBI. Scott’s dad, under Stiles’s urging and Sheriff Stilinski’s direction, had mobilized a rather sizable team to help stop the hunters, and had arrived just in time to collectively save their asses.

Or in the context before them, perhaps too late.

Scott could feel the connection between his beta strain with pain. It was anguish and confusion and desperation and anger, all these complex emotions constantly running through Liam came at the alpha in waves. It was overwhelming. Nobody dared to approach Liam and Theo; after all, it wasn’t like anyone could do anything to make the situation better.

Malia buried her head in Scott’s shoulder. The night was over. The war has ended. And in a sense, there wasn’t anything much to do but watch the aftermath unfold before them. Wars do that, Scott realized, they make you see the ugly conception and conclusion, eyes wide open to see it all, even when you don’t want to see it.

~

Liam’s hands continued travel around Theo’s torso. He ripped out his own jacket and pushed against the bleeding bullet holes. Theo was an exceptional werewolf – he was a “perfect” chimera, the proud creation of the Dread Doctors – so why wasn’t he healing?

“Stop,” Theo croaked, “you’re ruining a perfectly good jacket.”

“Just shut up and let me help you!” Liam snapped, his hands shaking with panic. Why wasn’t he healing?

“The bullet was...laced with...yellow wolfsbane,” Theo coughed, “it’s exceptionally...powerful and...potent. It’s poisoning my body...faster than it...could heal.”

“It’s the pain,” Liam blurted, suddenly coming to a realization, “the pain is making it harder for your body to heal. If I take away your pain, then your body could focus on healing rather than taking away the pain!”

Liam took a hold of Theo’s hand and focused on taking away his pain. He waited for the assault of pain that would flow from Theo to him, but seconds passed and nothing happened.

“What’s going on? I can’t take away your pain!” Liam grasped harder at Theo’s hand, like holding tighter would force the pain to flow naturally towards him.

“Mason told me that...it doesn’t work...if you don’t care enough...but I know that you...care too much...for it not to work,” Theo coughed up more blood, and his eyes were growing unsteady. It was becoming increasingly hard to talk.

“Don’t waste your breath; just let me save you goddamit!”

“Liam, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Theo whispered, “you can’t take my pain. There’s no pain to take. It doesn’t hurt.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked. Suddenly, it dawned on him. “No. No. No, no, no! You’re not – You’re not getting away that easily!”

Theo smirked, but it wasn’t as snarky as his usual ones. It was weak, lopsided, and looked too much gentler that it looked more like a gentle smile than an actual smirk.

“It’s okay. Dying in the arms of someone...someone like you – dying here in your arms, it’s not... so bad.”

“Don’t say that!” Liam’s voice cracked, his hand never easing up on Theo’s.

“You believed in me. Somehow. You believed in me...even when the others didn’t. Trusted me even, maybe. I’ve never had...someone like that...before.”

Theo could recall his life flashing in memory: his sister’s death, his nightmares, his chimera betas begrudging fear and distrust towards him, Scott and Lydia’s trepidation around him, Stiles and Malia’s blatant dislike of him, and Mason’s fear of him. He supposes Liam was always the one whose different – who continued to surprise him and chose to be with him even as times grew more dangerous.

Maybe Liam didn’t trust him. But Liam did believe in him – in the good that was probably still inside of him. Theo wonders what life would have been like had he been actual friends with Liam. Would they go to each others’ houses to play video games? Being a year older, would Theo tutor Liam on school work every weekend? Would they be playing lacrosse on the field together? Would they be the type to text each other late at night, go to Friday parties or find dead bodies in the woods together?

 _Too late_ , Theo thought, _I guess I’ll never know._

He feels that wolfsbane in his system run its course. He feels his own heartbeat slowing. He knows Liam can hear it too. He hears Liam call for Scott, Malia, Stiles, anyone, please help me, save Theo, please, somebody do something, and he hears it, finally, Liam’s voice cracking, his hands shaking, his heartbeat erratically beating out of his chest in worry and panic.

“Liam.”

Liam turns his eyes on him. Blue, not the yellow glow of the wolf. His face was an expression of panic and sorrow. Like Liam was afraid to lose him.

Once upon a time, Theo took out his sister’s heart and gave it to the dread doctors to make him into the perfect powerful creature. He then came to Beacon Hills to seek out a powerful pack to make his own – the werecoyote, the banshee who brought death, the dark kitsune, the nogitsune, and the beta with anger issues. He thought it would make him happy.

But looking at Liam looking at him the way he did now, holding his hand like he was afraid to let him go, Theo realized that this – just this – would have been enough.

Theo mustered all his remaining energy into what he knows will be his last words. And these words, he realized, was what hurt most of all. And so he whispered.

“You would have been good for me.”

Liam still held on to Theo’s hand, even when Theo no longer held his.


End file.
